A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.

The drawing Wednesday night for the Multi-State Lottery Association's prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.

Tickets earlier Wednesday were selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide, the jackpot enticing many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery.